Year-on-Year Change in CO2 Emissions
Data, Graphs, and Maps
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Earth and Space Sciences, Geography, Mathematics
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by Our World in Data
What it is
- This interactive map, chart, and data table show the absolute annual change in emissions of CO2 in many countries.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This resource is easy to use, customizable, and downloadable.
- Though it varies from country to country, some of the data is from as early as 1750.
- Students can explore the map data for the whole world or by specific continents.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should know how to read a map and a line graph.
- To avoid confusion, teachers may want to explain that the resource does not show the CO2 emissions produced annually; instead, it shows the annual change in CO2 emissions.
- The chart may be hard to read if too many countries are selected at the same time.
Differentiation
- Math classes could analyze the data and calculate the percentage of change between different dates.
- Social studies, history, and geography classes could discuss the reasons for the changes observed from year to year in various countries. Teachers could ask students to select different countries and have them work as detectives to figure out what else was going on in the country when emissions dropped or spiked and how the events may have impacted CO2 emissions.
From the scientist review
This resource contains datasets for students to navigate and gain insights into the relative and actual changes in CO2 emissions from different countries. Statistical differences are calculated and a conversion factor of 3.664 was used to standardize the indicators. The resource is appropriate, valid, and recommended for teaching.
Ready to use it?
Hosted on ourworldindata.org
Want this to fit your class?
Add your location for local examples, questions, and action ideas.
